So you pop open a new Keyforge deck, check out the cool name, the 3 houses, and then flip it over to see the contents. Besides checking for maverick cards and the number of rares, if you've played long enough you most likely start looking for key stuff in each house and judge if you like the deck or not. After playing so many games I am now at the point where I think I can try and assess key cards in each house that could help make my ideal house component. So now if I see a certain house, I am looking for these main cards, and that is what I want to go over in this (and more) article(s). I am also trying to keep in mind how often cards show up in decks. Everything I will ask for is something that I've seen in decks already, to try and prevent silly wishlists like 4x Library Access and stuff like that. First up is Shadows.
What I look for in Shadows is a lot of manipulation. I need some good amber generation and ways to steal amber and stall my opponent. Shadows is probably my favorite faction (along with most I'm sure), and there are a few cards I would love to see in every deck.
Bait and Switch - This card is one of the best cards in the game. In both Sealed and Archon style events, this card can win you games, and you must be wary of it if your opponent has it. I will always take one in a deck. Plus, it's common, so it's fairly likely. I would love multiples, but I'm not sure I've ever seen that, so we'll go with 1.
Miasma - This is another amazing card. It is never a bad play, as it can give you more amber upon playing it, and it has won me a lot of games by stalling an opponent. My favorite is to play this, then naturally forge a key on my turn, and then play bait and switch to steal. It's devastating. I have seen and would like 2 of these in any deck.
Ghostly Hand - I have always found this card useful. Gaining 2 raw amber on a card is a solid thing, but this can also help you steal one. Why not? And again, like so many great Shadows cards, this is common. I'll take 1.
Treasure Map - This is my favorite opening play when going first. Play a card, gain 4 amber. Better than any other card in the game. This card won me my first sealed tournament. In an earlier round, I played it while going first, and that amber gain helped me forge an early key. But in the final match, we were tied in keys, and time ran out, and I had one turn left. My opponent had 7 amber, and the first tie breaker after time was forging a key for 6 amber, then after that whomever has the most keys, then amber, wins (with even more tie breakers after that). I played Treasure map to gain 4, and then used other shadow cards I already had out on the board to help me gain 5 additional amber and I ended up winning the tournament. But 4 amber from this single card is what really sealed the deal. That deck had 2 Treasure Maps in it but I'll be reasonable and just ask for 1.
Nexus - I had a new appreciation for this amazing card in an Archon tournament. I was running a very control oriented deck, that had several artifacts such as Lash of Broken Dreams, among others. My opponent played a couple of Nexuses, and I found myself constantly hamstrung by my own artifacts! It was devastating and I ended up losing the game. In the tournament I mentioned above, a Nexus was able to reap on that final turn, as well as use an opponent's artifact to allow me to attack with another friendly creature, which allowed me to gain 3 captured amber. In my tournament deck I had 3, but 2 would be fine.
Urchin - This little guy is so simple, yet so effective. Stealing is the staple of Shadows, and this little guy is the poster child. having elusive means they typically last another turn to help with reaping, or being targets of your own Seeker Needles and such. I could probably throw in Faygin for some synergy but that's not even that necessary. But I will take 3 of these things.
Seeker Needle - This is also very nice, as it helps with direct damage (which I am finding I need more and more often), as well as amber gain. My favorite is actually to use it to kill my own Bad Pennys or Urchins. So I'll take 2.
So right now I am looking at the following Shadows component:
1x Bait and Switch
2x Miasma
1x Ghostly Hand
1x Treasure Map
2x Nexus
3x Urchin
2x Seeker Needle
That looks pretty solid. I could probably be convinced to get rid of the Seeker Needles, in favor of doubles of some of the other cards, but this is probably a more realistic list. It gives 5 raw amber, which is actually fairly low, although almost everything steals amber, and Treasure Map will usually give 3 more. It only has 1 rare in it, with everything else being common. I think it has a good spread of actions, creatures, and artifacts. And people wonder why Shadows is so good? I feel as though Shadows can work with any faction. I think I would prefer this with either Untamed or Mars that has auto-key forging capability, and then probably Logos to help with that.
Do you agree? What cards do you think I'm missing? Do you have a deck that has this component? And if so, how much do you want for it? :) I hope you enjoyed this article and let me know what you think!
*Edit - After some wonderful feedback and discussion on Facebook, I decided to update this a bit.
There were several people that mentioned that Seeker Needle is a little too slow, and that there were better choices out there. Nerve Blast and Relentless Whispers got mentioned as substitutes, as they both generate amber and take out small creatures. I think either would work, although I might prioritize Relentless Whispers since it also gives a Raw Amber.
Subtle Maul was also a recommendation, and one I could agree with considering that I find random discard very powerful in Archon formats. Sneklifter was also mentioned for some Artifact hate, which is also a very solid choice. With these choices in mind, I've decided to alter my original list:
1x Bait and Switch
2x Miasma
1x Ghostly Hand
1x Treasure Map
1x Sneklifter or Subtle maul
2x Nexus
2x Urchin
2x Relentless Whispers or Nerve Blast
Thanks for the feedback guys!
No comments:
Post a Comment